Sacramento County's 17 district Teachers of the Year 2008 were honored at ARCO Arena on Friday, February 1, during halftime of the Sacramento Kings/New Orleans Hornets game.
The reigning Sacramento County Teachers of the Year, Rob Myers, from Garden Valley Elementary School in the Del Paso Heights School District, and Jeannette Providence, from Grant High School in the Grant Joint Union High School District, were among the honorees.
The Teachers of the Year 2008 were featured in a special halftime ceremony witnessed by the ARCO Arena crowd. Officials from Maloof Sports and Entertainment and Intel-Folsom joined Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon and
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell in greeting Teachers of the Year on the basketball court.
Prior to the ceremony, the Kings hosted honorees and their guests to a pre-game reception and dinner. Kings Assistant coach Rex Kalamian addressed the gathering and player Kevin Martin joined the teachers, their guests and dignitaries for a commemorative photo session.
"You do a lot for youth and we appreciate what you do. Thank you very much," Martin told the teachers.
Intel Director of Education Brenda Musilli and Intel Education Manager LeRoy Tripette also addressed the group and presented each one of the teachers with a gift bag, as well as a commemorative glass trophy.
"The teachers are the most important part of the education system," Musilli said during the pre-game festivities.
For more than a dozen years, the Sacramento Kings organization has supported recognition of the area's top teachers.
The Sacramento County Teachers of the Year program is coordinated annually by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) to recognize the achievements of local educators and to raise awareness of the valuable role that teachers play in the lives of their students and in the community. The program is presented by SCOE in partnership with Maloof Sports and Entertainment, Intel-Folsom and the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies of Freemasonry.
Information about the Sacramento County Teachers of the Year Program is available online or by phoning the Sacramento County Office of Education at (916) 228-2417.